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三言兩語

简三言两语 · 繁三言兩語

Mandarin · pinyin sān yán liǎng yǔ

in a few words (idiom); expressed succinctly

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Characters in this entry

三: sān · three
言: yán · words, speech; speak, say; Kangxi radical 149
兩: liǎng · two, both, pair, couple; ounce
語: Look up this written character
两: liǎng · two, both, pair, couple; ounce
语: yǔ · language, words; saying, expression

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

1–2–3–3 · san1 yan2 liang3 yu3

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

三言兩語 · find source passages ↗ · 三言两语 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

saam1 jin4 loeng5 jyu5

Cantonese word readings for 三言兩語. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(idiomatic) just a few words; concise language

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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